1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure generally relates to gravimetric blenders, and more particularly to a mixing paddle for blending material within a gravimetric blender and the method of blending material.
2. Description of Related Art
Gravimetric blenders are used primarily in the plastic industry. Gravimetric blenders are configured to individually weigh two or more ingredient materials and mix them for later processing in an injection molding machine, a plastic extrusion process machine, a blow molding machine, or the like. The ingredient materials are typically dispensed from hoppers that are then weighed using a load cell to ensure proper proportions. The weighed ingredient materials are transferred to a mixing chamber to be combined and blended. Gravimetric blenders, or batch blenders, are also used in connection with other industries where multiple ingredient materials need to be combined and mixed.
Existing gravimetric blenders utilize agitators to mix the ingredient materials. The existing agitators disturb the ingredient materials located near the agitators. Current agitators do not sufficiently mix the ingredient materials within the entire mixing chamber, which leads to dead spots where the ingredient materials are not sufficiently mixed. Further, existing agitators can sometimes fracture or break under high stress loads.